Sir Samuel of Stockton has inherited a family reputation for service to the English crown, but honour becomes difficult to define when Henry II and his sons turn against one another. A knight who has sworn loyalty to the king must also consider the future ruler, while rival factions demand commitments that may become treason if the political balance changes.
Samuel is drawn into the disputes that fracture Henry’s family and threaten lands in England, Normandy and Aquitaine. The novel uses his position between generations to examine the practical meaning of chivalric loyalty: courage in battle is straightforward compared with choosing whom to obey when a king and his heirs each claim that justice and duty are on their side.
Bernard Cornwell
57 books
M J Porter
49 books
K. M. Ashman
37 books
Cecelia Holland
20 books
Sharon Kay Penman
14 books